Solar Electricity – Energy Source Of The Future

Solar electricity is a very versatile energy source and most of all it does not pollute, it does not contribute to carbon emission and its use can contribute towards checking global warming.

Solar electricity is used in numerous varied conditions and application. It is used in remotely located homes and villages where grid or utility provided power is not available. In urban areas it is used in modest sized installations for small homes (see fig. 1) and also in reasonably large sized installations to provide electricity in group housing. It is used to provide electricity on small boats and mobile communication applications, and to power small vehicles for limited range of travel. It is used to provide on-board power on satellites and also for co-generation in large power stations of 100s of MW capacity. It is an extremely versatile source of non-polluting power.

It does have its limitations though; chief among them being that solar panels can provide electricity only when sun shines, that its use is feasible only in areas where adequate sunshine is available (within a certain band along the equator). Of course, these are not insurmountable limitations. There are many applications where by using storage batteries, electricity can be stored in the day time and used at night; or by using the solar energy in the day time and using the utility supply in the rest of the period you can contribute to checking global warming. In any case, in remote inaccessible areas these limitations do not matter any way.

In areas where at present utility grid power supply from utility using fossil fuel is available, solar electricity does not compare very favorably in cost due to the high cost of solar cells and related equipment. But this situation is changing; petroleum oil prices are escalating rapidly which is bound to escalate the prices of utility supplies (see fig. 2), governments are increasing taxes & levies on power generation using fossil fuels, and making it mandatory for utility companies to use more alternative energy sources which will reduce carbon emission. All these factors will tilt the scales in favor of energy sources like solar electricity.

Moreover, many large corporations have sensed the inevitable and have launched programs of setting up significantly large production facilities for manufacture of solar panels. This will bring down the prices drastically within the next two years or so.

Solar electricity is definitely an energy source of the future!